Hungarians began voting on Sunday in closely watched parliamentary elections that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year stint in power as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side.
US President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind the EU's current longest-serving leader. The vote is closely followed abroad, particularly across the rest of Europe.
Opinion polls suggest the Tisza party of pro-European conservative Peter Magyar, who has promised a "system change", is running well ahead of Orban's.
Orban said the will of the people must be respected in elections.
He warned that “Europe is heading towards a major crisis” and stressed the “need for strong national unity” to face emerging challenges.
Orban also stated that he is in the race to “win.”
Both camps have alleged foreign interference during the campaign in the central European country of 9.5 million people. US Vice President JD Vance visited Budapest earlier this week to rally with Orban.
Orban, 62, who is seeking a fifth straight term. Like Trump, he casts migration and "woke" values as a threat to Western "civilisation".
Former government insider Magyar, 45, burst onto the scene just two years ago, amassing support against a backdrop of economic stagnation, despite an electoral system skewed in favour of Orban's Fidesz party.
Polls opened at 6:00 am (0400 GMT), according to AFP journalists. They will close at 7:00 pm.
'Under siege'
Orban has increasingly locked horns with Brussels, which accuses him of quashing dissent and eroding the rule of law and has frozen billions of euros in EU funding.
During his visit, Vance attacked the alleged interference in Hungary of Brussels "bureaucrats", while Trump has promised to bring US "economic might" to Hungary if Orban's party secures victory.
While criss-crossing the country since February, Magyar has called on Hungarians to "take our homeland back" to secure its place in the EU, and promised to crack down on corruption and offer better services.
But Maria Toth, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mother of two, told AFP that "it is so important for us that Viktor Orban stays in power,"
"I feel Hungary is under siege from so many directions and big powers like Brussels are trying to dictate how we live. If he loses, I worry for my children's future," she added after casting her ballot.
Orban has focused on making Ukraine the centre topic of his campaign, portraying the neighbouring country, which is fighting off a Russian invasion, as "hostile" to Hungary.
Ahead of the campaign, he has also vowed to continue his crackdown against "fake civil society organisations, bought journalists, judges (and) politicians".
